I’ve always wanted to be one of those coffee shop writers, who sit in a coffee shop all day with a pastry and a beverage and work until the job is done. I see it on TV and in movies and it always looks so chic and cool – and for me, unrealistic! Truth is, I love to people watch and will find myself watching people wondering what their lives are like. If I see a couple, I’ll watch their body language and see if I can figure out what date they are on – first dates are painfully obvious as are couples that have been dating for a long time.

I’m also not a natural creative – I am more left brain and analytical. When I want to tap into my creative side I love to be outside, and if not actually outside, then around a lot of windows and natural light. I’m at my best sitting poolside in my backyard or at my dining room table with all my windows and front door open.

Do you write every day?

I write most days, but not every day. My husband and I usually take either Saturday or Sunday (depending on the week) and make it “our day” where we take time to just hang out and do nothing. He owns his own moving company which demands a lot of his time. He and I trying to align our schedules can be challenging – so this one day is our way of saying – “hey, we’re busy but you’re still my priority. No matter what needs to get done, it can wait.” It’s usually something simple, like this week, we binge watched a spin-off of an 80’s classic “The Karate Kid”, “Cobra Kai” on YouTube and grilled on the BBQ.

What is writing your schedule?

I have tried a lot of different writing schedules – writing at night, writing in 15-minute increments throughout the day, you name it – I’ve tried it. Working in the morning, specifically during the 6:00 AM – 10:00 AM window, has proven to be the best for me. My mind is fresh at that point and I seem to put less restrictions or limits on my writing – maybe because I haven’t fully woken up yet!

In today’s tech-savvy world, most writers use a computer or laptop. Have you ever written parts of your book on paper?

Absolutely! I am old school and will often write on paper using colored pencils when I get stuck or just need a change of pace. I am learning that I get stuck when I’m too much in my head and not just allowing the words to flow – using colored pencils seems to tap into my creative, less critical side. It can lift my mood and change my attitude in just minutes, perhaps simply because writing in colored pencils is so much fun! Who doesn’t love to work with color?

If you could go back in time, where would you go?

I have two answers to this –

First, but less importantly –  I would go back to the late 1990’s and purchase property in the “South Bay” (a beach community where I lived) before the prices shot through the roof and became almost unattainable for the everyday person. Real Estate there has gone insane. I almost bought a condo there when I first started working in downtown LA – but I thought the price was too expensive and “not worth it.” Little did I know that today, the same condo is going for double if not more the rate!

Second, there is a scene in scripture, in John 8 where an adulteress woman is cast at Jesus’ feet by religious Pharisees who were trying to back Jesus into a corner. The law, before Jesus fulfilled it said that a woman caught in adultery should be stoned to death. They tossed this poor woman at Jesus’ feet stating (paraphrasing here), “she was caught in adultery, what do you say we do with her?” They believed that Jesus’ answer was one of two – stone her or not stone her. If he didn’t stone her, he was disobeying the law (a big no-no in Jesus’ day).

Instead, Jesus said, “whichever one of you is without sin cast the first stone” and then he began writing on the ground – Scripture doesn’t record what he wrote, but every single man there ready to convict this women and stone her put down their stones and walked away.

When Jesus stood he asked the woman, “Where are they? Has anyone condemned you?” She responded, “”no one, sir.” He responds, “Then neither do I condemn you, go now and leave your life of sin.”  (John 8:10-11)

Jesus not only spared this woman’s life, but his grace and love restored her dignity, these men weren’t any different than her – her sin was no worse than their own.

I would have loved to be there – to see what Jesus wrote, to see these men’s smug expressions turn to conviction at their own hypocrisy, to see Jesus’ face when he spoke to this woman and hear his voice when he said, “neither do I condemn you.’ I get this woman, I am this woman… and I have pictured him saying this very same thing to me when I am feeling overwhelmed with my own self-condemnation. I don’t have a group of men trying to stone me, but there are days when I hold myself to this same level of judgment and self-criticism.